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A 49-year-old woman returned home as burglars were leaving her house, carrying her son's laptop, at 11:09 a.m. on Wednesday, March 14, in the 3600 block of West Mercer Way. She saw the two men running toward a vehicle — a black BMW with an Oregon license plate — parked halfway down her driveway, and found that a door to her residence had been forced open.

The woman chased after the suspects in her vehicle and copied down their license plate number after following them as far as the Mt. Baker tunnel on westbound I-90. The suspects stole $50,000 worth of items, including a diamond ring, diamond earrings, a diamond cross necklace, pearls, gold/diamond necklaces, a watch, a desktop Mac and a Macbook Pro laptop. Damage was done to the door of entry, door frame, lock and nearby window.

March 9

Fraud: Someone used a 51-year-old South end man's credit card number to make an online purchase from a Salt Lake City business. The vendor confirmed that the billing and shipping addresses did not match but would not disclose the shipping address to the victim. The bank refunded the victim's stolen money.

March 12

Theft: $250 worth of produce was stolen from the curbside of the Islander Pub restaurant in the 7400 block of S.E. 27th Street between 3 and 7 a.m.

Theft: A student's backpack was stolen out of the boys' locker room at the high school in the 9100 block of S.E. 42nd Street between 10:50 and 11:10 a.m., while the student was lifting weights. He had left his backpack, which contained a Macbook Pro worth $1,600, in front of the lockers.

March 13

Accident: A van pulled out in front of oncoming traffic at 7:55 a.m. in the 4700 block of Island Crest Way while attempting to make a left turn, and was struck by a BMW. There were no injuries, and neither vehicle was towed. The driver of the van was cited.

Suspicious activity: A Mercer Island man reported that his mother-in-law, 80, suspected that her house was entered in the 6800 block of 96th Avenue S.E. When she came home at 10 a.m., she found that items had been moved around in the lower level of her house. A back door had been left unlocked. Nothing, however, was missing.

Pedestrian accident: A vehicle struck a pedestrian in a crosswalk at 10:07 a.m. in the 2600 block of 77th Avenue S.E. The driver did not see the pedestrian as she was turning off of Sunset Highway. The pedestrian, a 65-year-old woman, was knocked down. She was transported to a hospital with pain in her arm and leg. The driver, 54, was cited for failing to yield. One witness was present.

Burglary: A 38-year-old woman saw two young men between 15 and 20 watching her house and her neighbor's house at 10:45 a.m. in the 4600 block of 91st Avenue S.E. At noon, she heard a loud bang at her neighbor's house, which was unsecured. That afternoon, the neighbor reported being burglarized. Stolen items included a beaver pelt fur jacket, laptop, pearl necklace and bracelet, money, gold bracelet, jewelry box and metal filing box.

March 14

Malicious mischief: Graffiti was sprayed on the brick wall of an apartment building in the 2700 block of 76th Avenue S.E. sometime after March 7, causing $150 in damage.

Attempted burglary: Burglars attempted to enter an unoccupied residence being remodeled in the 9800 block of S.E. 40th Street, but they were unable to get into the secured building. They stole a mountain bike worth $900 from outside the building sometime after 4:30 p.m. on March 13.

March 15

Arrest: Police contacted the driver of a vehicle at 2:52 a.m. in the Lid Park in the 2200 block of West Mercer Way. The driver, a 22-year-old man, presented a friend's license to police instead of his own. He was handcuffed and arrested, and admitted that he gave the wrong driver's license. Police found that he was also driving with a suspended license. He was cited for both offenses.

Arrest: Police booked a 31-year-old man into the Issaquah Jail on a Mercer Island warrant at 10:33 a.m.

Attempted burglary: Someone repeatedly rang the doorbell of a home at 4:55 p.m. in the 4300 block of East Mercer Way. A 13-year-old boy was at home, and as he came downstairs to answer the door, the suspect rammed the door with his shoulder, trying to break it down. When both suspects outside saw the boy coming, they fled down the walkway toward the street and disappeared.

Accident: Two SUVs collided at 9:02 p.m. in the intersection of 76th Avenue S.E. and North Mercer Way after one of the drivers glanced down at his radio and failed to stop at the stop sign. The driver was cited for inattention. There were no injuries.

March 16

Copper theft: Three to four-foot sections of copper tubing for fence tops were stolen out of a driveway in the 2400 block of 64th Avenue S.E. sometime after March 9. The estimated loss was $300.

Arrest: Police arrested a 50-year-old man at 12:17 p.m. in the 3200 block of Island Crest Way on a $2,000 misdemeanor warrant. His vehicle was left at the scene with a waiver of impound. He was transferred into the custody of the Bellevue Police Department.

March 17

Fraud: $4,010 was charged to a 52-year-old Mercer Island woman's debit card in eleven total transactions over March 15-16.

Theft: A man and woman caught a taxi from Seattle to Mercer Island and ran away at the end of the ride at 2:17 a.m., not paying the fare of $32.12. They ran into the 77th Central apartment complex, and police were unable to find them.

March 18

DUI: Police arrested a 21-year-old man at 2:42 a.m. in the 7900 block of S.E. 27th Street after stopping him for a traffic offense. He had been drinking, and admitted it. He failed field sobriety tests and was later released to a sober adult.

Malicious mischief: Someone knocked over several street, stop and no-parking signs in the 8600 block of S.E. 42nd Street between 3:48 and 4:15 a.m. Police restored most of the signs, which were undamaged, but must repair a street sign with a broken pole.

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